If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Reducing nerve pain without cognitive impairment

I realize this is asking for much, but had anyone found ways of reducing nerve pain without suffering some significant loss of cognitive ability? For the most part I've not even found ways of reducing nerve pain even with cognitive loss; lyrica and diazepam plus tramadol barely make a difference in spite of the stupor they can impose. I've read other combinations that sound even more stupefying. But there must be strategies that allow those of us with chronic, severe pain to return to working, right?

My nerve pain is severe as well and unfortunately I haven't found anything that works yet. I've had my hardware removed, a spinal cord stimulator implanted, and tried every medication available. After being on the max dose of gabapentin, tramadol, and one or two Percocets a day for four years I got off all my meds. The difference in pain has been minimal, and not enough to make the side effects worth it. My pain is about an 8/10 on average and I work 40 hrs a week. My only option is to push through it, so that's what I do.

Brad09, what job do you work and how many hours/week? My idea of an 8 (largest number I've ever used) wouldn't be something I could work through, especially if combined with the neuromuscular pain I get after a few hours in my chair. You definitely pulled out most all the stops short of a morphine pump.
I'm wondering, use of baclofen via spinal drip from a pump is said to have vastly reduced side-effects. Would morphine be the same? I.e. would a spinal pump of morphine be less debilitating than oral opioids?

Brad09, what job do you work and how many hours/week? My idea of an 8 (largest number I've ever used) wouldn't be something I could work through, especially if combined with the neuromuscular pain I get after a few hours in my chair. You definitely pulled out most all the stops short of a morphine pump.
I'm wondering, use of baclofen via spinal drip from a pump is said to have vastly reduced side-effects. Would morphine be the same? I.e. would a spinal pump of morphine be less debilitating than oral opioids?

Not sure about the pump, never looked into that. I'm an architect, so I sit at a computer 9 hours a day (including lunch) 5 days a week. I meant to say earlier, that for me distraction/busyness is the only thing that helps. That's why I go to work everyday. The pain would be much worse sitting at home.

T6 complete. My manual chair gets painful after a while too. I have a regular office chair with a high back that I transfer to every few hours so that I can lean back and stretch. I also have a spare roho I leave on that chair so I can work from it for longer periods of time if I want to.

This gives me some real hope Brad09. It also compounds the anger of my being dismissed for being disabled. I had a job that was perfect for my injuries - running three small business units where 90% of my function was design ideas, project management and product development using diverse teams from around the globe. These last 19 months would've been so much easier had I been working and keeping involved and distracted.

Today it's damn near impossible to even get an interview. Being a 50+ para is quite the roadblock regardless of the ADA or anything else. People just assume you're damaged goods. I danced with a non-profit for 8 weeks including two face-to-face interviews, one personality profile, one aptitude test and even a timed writing assignment. I was way overqualified and it paid 1/3 of my last job but I was also everything they said they wanted. In the end they passed and I have to wonder how much was the chair. Even my three references were called and they each contacted me to tell me how they said good things and each of them believed the person on the other end was ready to hire me.

Sigh. If only I had time to build a company on my own (again), but with no certainty in the individual insurance market I have to find a job with health insurance before my COBRA runs out.

I have a pump with baclofen, clonidine and versed. I could not tolerate the dosage of oral baclofen
necessary to help.

with the pump the dosage is much reduced but still hits the brain/mind. I just had a major meds
revamped with the dosage upped by 60%. I feel like I'm at the hairy edge, I get 2 bolus a day
and the increase hits my mind with reduced cognitive ability, takes 4-6 hours to normalize. I take
the boluses at night when my spasms are the worst and it helps me sleep -ket

I take Lyrica and Cymbalta for nerve pain in my hands. I have found my nerve pain really increases when there is a cold front passing through. When these fronts pass through the amount of Lyrica and Cymbalta I'm on is not enough to provide adequate relief. I can muster through the pain during the day, but night is different. For pain relief I've found taking some cannabis that is around 70 mg as THC I can get good relief without being too spaced out. I don't take this amount every night. I only take it when my nerve pain flares up.